


Find A Way

by awoogah123



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Baby, Exy (All For The Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:01:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26976274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awoogah123/pseuds/awoogah123
Summary: Kevin is left a huge life-changing surprise by Thea - what will happen when he's left to bring up their baby alone?
Relationships: Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Kevin Day & David Wymack, Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter One

Practice was over and Kevin was feeling equal parts tired and revitalised, he always felt energised after exy – that would never change. As the Foxes started to make their way off the court, Kevin and Neil, who were bringing up the rear, were stopped by Wymack.  
“Your turn to clean up the court, boys,” Wymack said, nodding to the balls and cones that were scattered across the court.  
“Again,” Neil groaned. “When’s it not our turn to clean up the court?”  
“When you shut your goddamn mouth,” Wymack replied, shooting Neil an evil grin. Neil opened his mouth to argue again but Kevin clamped a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away, Kevin knew there was no way his father would relent. Neil muttered to himself sulkily as he stacked up the cones, Kevin, who was throwing the balls into the bucket, glanced up at Neil,  
“Quit whining,” Kevin said.  
“I’m not whining,” Neil argued.  
“Sure,” Kevin drawled, throwing the last ball into the bucket and standing up straight. “And for that whining, you can put the stuff back into the cupboard.”  
“You’re not serious,” Neil said, looking at Kevin blankly as he dumped the bucket of balls by Neil’s feet.  
“Totally serious,” Kevin grinned, turning to make his way off the court.  
“I don’t have enough hands,” Neil pointed out.  
“Make two trips,” Kevin shrugged, glancing at Neil over his shoulder.  
“Asshole,” Neil called after him, his voice cut off as Kevin shut the court door behind him.  
Kevin chuckled to himself as he made his way down the hallway to the locker room, pissing Neil off was kind of a talent of his, and it was also seriously fun. Neil made it too easy for him. His laughter soon died down when he swung the locker room door open, the silence of the room was heavy and formidable.  
“Did someone die in here?” Kevin asked, stepping further into the locker room and letting the door bang behind him. The rest of the guys were crowded around the benches, backs to Kevin, and at the sound of his voice, they all turned around. “What are you guys looking at?” Kevin asked, quirking an eyebrow. The silence of the room was unusal, especially when Nicky and Matt were around. The crowd dispersed slowly, letting Kevin get a clear view of what they were looking at.  
A small baby was lying on the bench, swaddled tightly in a pink blanket. Kevin looked from the baby to his teammates, eyes wide in shock,  
“What the fuck? Why’s there a baby here?” Kevin asked.  
“You tell us,” Aaron said.  
“Huh?” Kevin asked, completely lost.  
“It’s got your name on it,” Nicky said, when Kevin looked at him in confusion, Nicky turned and picked up a folded piece of paper. “This letter.” Kevin stepped forward and snatched the piece of paper from Nicky, heart beating fast with fear and confusion.  
As Kevin read the letter, his stomach dropped, he couldn’t believe his eyes. This was not his baby. This could not be his baby. Kevin Day was not a father.  
After his third reread, Kevin let the piece of paper slip from his fingers; his eyes stayed glued to the baby, his daughter, as he stumbled backwards, back crashing into the wall.  
“Kevin? What’s going on?” Matt asked, voice tainted with concern. Andrew stepped forward and grabbed the letter from the floor, shooting Kevin a confused look before reading the letter. Andrew’s expression did not change as he read the letter, but when he was finished, he folded it neatly and placed it beside the baby.  
“Can someone tell us what’s going on?” Nicky asked, bewildered. Andrew turned to Kevin, completely ignoring Nicky,  
“She’s your daughter,” Andrew said, it was more of a statement than a question, but Kevin still shook his head.  
“Your daughter?” Matt exclaimed, eyebrows flying up.  
“That’s your baby?” Aaron asked; Nicky was so shocked he was speechless, which was not a common occurence.  
“No,” Kevin said, voice shaking. “No. She can’t be.”  
“Well that’s what Thea said in the letter,” Andrew said. “Yes?”  
“Y-Yes,” Kevin stuttered, “but that doesn’t mean anything.”  
“It kind of means everything,” Matt added unhelpfully, Kevin shot him a glare.  
“She can’t be,” Kevin said again, mostly trying to reassure himself. “I’m twenty-one, I can’t have a kid.”  
“Well, you can and you do,” Andrew said.  
“Wait, what did the letter say exactly?” Matt asked, question directed at Andrew; Kevin was in no state to answer right now, his skin was pasty white and sweaty as he clutched his knees to his chest. Andrew was silent for a moment, as if recounting the words in his head,  
“Kevin got Thea pregnant, she didn’t want to tell him because she didn’t know if she was keeping it,” Andrew paused. “Something went wrong, blah blah blah... Thea had to leave and now Kevin has the baby.” Kevin let out a strangled whimper; hearing the words aloud did nothing to make him feel any better.  
“Jesus,” Aaron breathed, shaking his head to himself.  
“So, this is your daughter?” Matt asked, as if Kevin needed to hear it again. “And she’s just left you to look after it on your own?”  
“This is fucking crazy,” Nicky shouted. At the sound of Nicky’s loud voice, the baby stirred awake, eyes blinking open as it began to cry. Kevin felt his stomach drop more, if that was even possible – this was his daughter, his daughter was crying. He couldn’t look after a baby.  
“Kevin, your daughter’s crying,” Andrew said, Kevin shoved his fingers in his ears, not bringing himself to be able to hear the cries.  
“Come and sort your baby out,” Matt called over the bawls. When Kevin made no move to get up, Nicky turned to the baby, huffing as he bent to pick her head up. Nicky wasn’t exactly a natural with babies, her head was held at an awkward angle and she started to cry even harder.  
“Nicky, you’re not holding her right,” Aaron snapped, reaching up to grab the baby from his cousin. Nicky gave no fight and Aaron took the baby easily, her head fit perfectly in the crook of his arm and as he rocked her slowly, her cries soon quietened.  
“Whoa, you’re like a baby whisperer,” Matt said, eyeing Aaron up, impressed.  
“Since when did you know anything about babies?” Nicky asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
“I’m not an idiot, Nicky,” Aaron muttered, shaking his head. The baby relaxed in Aaron’s arms, and Aaron walked around a little, calming her down until she fell back asleep. When she was laying peacefully in his arms, Aaron headed towards Kevin, “Take her, then.”  
“No,” Kevin said, voice barely a whisper as he shook his head vehemently.  
“She’s your baby,” Aaron said, “I don’t want to hold her.”  
“She likes you,” Kevin says. “I don’t want her.” Kevin focused his gaze on the tile floors beneath him, not daring to look at the baby in Aaron’s arms. At that moment, the locker room door swung open and Neil stepped inside; he paused in the doorway, looking between Kevin and the baby, Kevin and the baby.  
“What’s going on?” Neil asked slowly, cocking his head. Andrew gestured for Neil to come over to him, and when he did, Andrew passed Neil the note; as Neil read, his eyebrows flew up. When he’d finished, he placed the note back on the bench and turned back to Kevin. “Jesus, fuck.”  
“They were my thoughts exactly,” Nicky agreed, reaching forward to clap Neil on the back.  
“This is your baby?” Neil asked, staring at Kevin.  
“Stop,” Kevin groaned, digging his fingers further into his ears.  
“He’s in denial,” Andrew said in a stage whisper, Kevin clenched his eyes shut.  
“Can everyone just stop?” Kevin shouted, causing the baby to stir in Aaron’s arms. Keeping his eyes on the floor, Kevin started to rock, trying to get himself away, away from the whole situation. This could not be happening.  
“I think someone should get Coach,” Matt said, eyebrows raised as he looked at Kevin.  
“On it,” Nicky asked, breaking through the group to run out of the locker room. 

When the locker room door burst open, everyone – well, everyone except Kevin – turned to see Wymack running in, closely followed by a red-faced, out of breath Nicky.  
“What’s going on?” Wymack asked, “Nicky said there was an emergency.” It took Wymack to see the baby in Aaron’s arms, and when he did, his eyes widened in shock. “What the fuck? Why have you got a baby, Aaron?”  
“She’s not mine,” Aaron shrugged, stepping forward and placing the baby in Wymack’s arms. Wymack looked from the baby up to the guys and then back to the baby,  
“Who’s baby is this? Why is it here?” Wymack asked.  
“It’s a girl,” Nicky pointed out.  
“Why is she here?” Wymack demanded, looking between them.  
“Ask Kevin,” Andrew said.  
“Where is Kevin?” Wymack asked.  
“Behind you,” Neil said, pointing to Kevin who was still folded up in the corner of the room.  
“Kevin,” Wymack said, voice coming out more of a growl. “Explain, now.” Kevin lifted his head, terrified eyes meeting Wymack’s. Wymack’s expression softened slightly as he took in Kevin’s state, he turned back to the others. “Can you lot leave, please? I need to talk to Kevin.” The others nodded and headed out of the locker room wordlessly, Kevin cringed at the idea of them telling the girls what was happening.  
The locker room was completely silent, except for a slight dripping coming from one of the showers and the slow, steady breathing of the baby. Kevin looked on as Wymack made his way over to him, he slowly lowered himself down, careful not to knock the baby, and when he was sat on the floor, he placed her carefully in his lap.  
“Would you care to explain what’s going on?” Wymack asked, tone soft as he watched Kevin closely. Taking a deep breath, Kevin stood up, crossing the room to grab the letter from the bench, he placed it in Wymack’s waiting hand. Kevin held his head in his hands as he Wymack read the letter, not wanting to see the disappointment in his father’s eyes. The slight crinkle of paper told Kevin that Wymack had finished reading, “So, this is your daughter?” Kevin lifted his head, turning to face Wymack.  
“No,” Kevin said, voice cracking on his words. “She can’t be.”  
“Well, that’s what this letter says,” Wymack said, waving the piece of paper in Kevin’s face.  
“You think I don’t know that?” Kevin asked, low and hoarse. Wymack sighed as he pushed the piece of paper into Kevin’s unrelenting hands.  
“You didn’t use protection?” Wymack sighed, tilting his head back and resting it against the cool, tiled wall.  
“Yes, we always used condoms,” Kevin defended.  
“The baby in my arm sort of disproves that point,” Wymack said.  
“We don’t know if she’s actually mine,” Kevin said, grasping at the last bit of hope he could fine. “Maybe Thea got it wrong.”  
“Stop lying to yourself, Kevin,” Wymack sighed. “Thea wasn’t sleeping around, was she? Plus, the baby looks like you.”  
“She does not,” Kevin said, not allowing himself to see the similarity between their piercing green eyes and dark hair.  
“The eyes, the hair, the nose,” Wymack listed. “She’s your kid, all right.”  
“She can’t be,” Kevin said, covering his face with his hands once again.  
“She can be, and she is,” Wymack said, reaching across to pull Kevin’s hands away. “Now stop moping and get thinking. We have a baby here, what do you want to do?”  
“I’m not keeping her,” Kevin said quickly, shaking his head. “I can’t.”  
“You can do what you want, Kevin,” Wymack said. “I’m not going to stop you.”  
“And I want to get rid of her,” Kevin said assuredly.  
“Really?” Wymack asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Why?”  
“I can’t keep her, Coach,” Kevin said, “I’m still at school. How am I supposed to look after a baby?”  
“Forget the logistics for a minute,” Wymack said, “and think about what you want.”  
“I am thinking about what I want,” Kevin said. “And I want her gone. How am I ever supposed to play exy again if I have a kid?”  
“I’m sure we’d find a way,” Wymack shrugged.  
“We don’t need to find a way,” Kevin said, “I’m not keeping her.” Wymack was silent for a moment, focusing all his attention on Kevin; when Kevin said nothing, Wymack sighed, shoulders slumping.  
“Whatever you want,” Wymack said, even voice belying his expression. They sat there for a while, their backs pressed against the wall, Kevin desperately trying to keep his eyes away from his daughter. “We’ll need to take her home,” Wymack said finally, “just for a while. Until we can sort out what’s happening with her.”  
“I can take her back to the Tower,” Kevin said, looking at Wymack earnestly.  
“The Tower,” Wymack scoffed, “of course you’re not taking her back to the Tower, she wouldn’t survive five minutes. She’ll have to come back to mine.”  
“You’ll let her stay there?” Kevin asked, eyes widening in surprise.  
“You’ll be staying there, too,” Wymack said.  
“What?”  
“She’s your kid,” Wymack shrugged, “your responsibility, even if it is just for the time being. You’ll have to stay at mine for a while.”  
“Fine,” Kevin groaned, running a shaky hand through his hair. When Wymack felt satisfied with Kevin’s answer, he slowly stood up, looking down at Kevin; when Kevin joined him, Wymack held the baby out to him. “What?” Kevin asked.  
“She’s your baby,” Wymack said, “you should hold her.”  
“No way,” Kevin said, backing away. “No way am I holding her.”  
“You’re going to have to at some point,” Wymack shrugged.  
“I don’t, and I won’t,” Kevin said, rushing out of the locker room.


	2. Chapter Two

It was evening and Kevin had locked himself in Wymack’s bathroom, he could hear the baby crying and Wymack desperately trying to comfort her but it was to no effect. Kevin looked at the locked door, there was only a certain acceptable amount of time that someone could lock themselves in the bathroom, and he was pretty sure an hour surpassed that.  
“Kevin!” Wymack yelled over the cries, “Get your ass out here!” Kevin sighed deeply as he stood up from the edge of the bath, his legs shaking slightly as he did. He knew it was only a matter of time before he’d have to face the truth, he’d just hoped that it would be a little further on in the future.  
Sheepishly, Kevin unlocked the bathroom door, stepping over the threshold and letting his daughter’s cries fill his ears, it was almost unbearable and Kevin didn’t understand how Wymack had coped with it for as long as he had. Wymack was pacing around the living room, rocking the baby slowly in his arms, her face was red from crying and exhaustion and Kevin had to turn away.  
“Finally,” Wymack exclaimed when he saw Kevin in the doorway. “What were you doing in there?”  
“Hiding,” Kevin admitted quietly.  
“You can’t hide from your life,” Wymack said, shaking his head. “And however much you might hate this, it’s still your life.” Kevin shrugged, slumping against the doorway and watching as Wymack continued to try and send the baby to sleep. “You could help, y’know,” Wymack sighed, glancing over his shoulder at Kevin.  
“What am I supposed to do?” Kevin asked.  
“Oh, I don’t know,” Wymack said sarcastically, “maybe take your daughter.”  
“I don’t want to take her,” Kevin said.  
“That’s nice, I didn’t particularly want to hear her screaming in my ear for the past hour. We all have to do things we don’t want to.” Wymack made his way across the room, stopping in front of Kevin. “And don’t think that I haven’t noticed that you haven’t held your daughter yet.”  
“I don’t want to hold her,” Kevin said.  
“Tough,” Wymack said, holding the baby out and basically shoving her into Kevin’s hands. Kevin held her at arm’s length, wanting to touch as little of her as possible, she started to cry even louder. “See, she doesn’t like me.”  
“Maybe because you’re holding her like she’s contaminated,” Wymack snapped, taking the baby back quickly. “Sit on the couch.”  
“Why?”  
“Just sit on the goddamn couch,” Wymack snapped, Kevin finally complied, slumping into the corner of the couch. Wymack stood over him and lowered the baby into his lap, when Kevin opened his mouth to argue Wymack cut him off with a sharp look. “Hold your daughter and shut up.” Kevin’s mouth snapped shut, his daughter was balanced on the tops of his legs, her crying softening slightly as she looked up at him. Kevin brought up his hands either side of her, hovering them a couple centimetres away from her so he could catch her if she started to fall.  
Kevin tried to keep his eyes off of her, trying to focus on the blank TV screen instead; but every time he looked away, his eyes were drawn back to her, as if she was a magnet. Kevin had never been one for babies, and just because this one was his, made no difference to him – he still held no interest in her. Although, he did notice how her eyes were the exact same shade of green as his, and he didn’t entirely pull away when she reached out to grab one of his fingers.  
“See, she’s relaxing already,” Wymack said, stepping back with a satisfied smile on his face.  
“Because she’s tired,” Kevin said.  
“Or because she knows who her dad is,” Wymack countered.  
“That’s ridiculous,” Kevin shook his head, “she’s a baby.”  
“I don’t know,” Wymack shrugged, dropping onto the sofa beside Kevin. Wymack grabbed a small notepad from the coffee table and began to scribble things down,  
“What are you doing?” Kevin asked, craning his neck to see what his father was writing.  
“Making a shopping list,” Wymack said, glancing sideways at Kevin. “This house isn’t exactly baby-friendly – we need to get some stuff for her.”  
“What’s the point?” Kevin asked, “I’m not keeping her.”  
“What, you think she’s not going to eat or go to the bathroom until she’s found her forever home?” Wymack asked, “We need milk and diapers, and everything else.”  
“We have milk,” Kevin said, glancing toward the fridge.  
“Babies need special formula milk, Kevin,” Wymack sighed, shaking his head as he turned back to the shopping list.  
“Isn’t that all going to be really expensive?” Kevin asked.  
“Children are expensive,” Wymack said.  
“That’s a complete waste of money,” Kevin pointed out.  
“It’s not a waste if she’ll use it,” Wymack shrugged, continuing to scribble items down.

That night, Kevin got next to no sleep; when the baby was actually settled, Kevin couldn’t let himself go to sleep – his mind racing as he went over the day’s events. Plus, he couldn’t keep his eyes off his daughter. He tried hard not to look at her, not wanting to get attached, but it didn’t work; every time, his eyes were drawn back to her and he found himself staring at her sleeping form.   
The next morning, when Wymack stepped into the living room looking bright-eyed and overly perky, Kevin scowled at him.  
“How did you sleep, Kev?” Wymack asked, crossing the room to make his way into the kitchen where he started to prepare two mugs of coffee.  
“I didn’t sleep,” Kevin snapped, rubbing a hand over his tired, sleep-deprived eyes.  
“Couch uncomfy?” Wymack asked with a smirk.  
“Something like that,” Kevin muttered, something else playing on his mind. “How can you be acting like this?”  
“Like what?” Wymack asked, turning away from the counter to face Kevin.  
“Like everything’s okay,” Kevin said. Wymack let out a huge sigh and slumped against the counter,  
“Well, what else can we do?” Wymack asked, “What’s done is done, sulking isn’t going to change that.”  
“I’m not sulking,” Kevin defended.  
“Sulking, moping, whatever,” Wymack said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. “We have her now, whether we like it or not.” Kevin sat in silence, letting his father’s words sink in as he continued to make the coffee – he knew Wymack was right, but it just wasn’t that easy. “Anyway, how is she?” Wymack asked, nodding toward the baby.  
“Asleep,” Kevin said, Wymack rolled his eyes dramatically.  
“Yes, I can see that, Kevin. I mean, does she need changing, is she hungry?” Wymack asked, Kevin’s eyes widened, as if the thoughts had just occurred to him.  
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kevin said, glancing down at his daughter. Wymack groaned as he walked away from the counter,  
“Go take a shower, Kevin,” Wymack instructed, “you need to be ready to go shopping today. I’ll sort her out.”  
“What am I doing with her?” Kevin asked, standing up from the couch.  
“Abby’s looking after her today,” Wymack said, Kevin cocked his head. “I called her last night, told her everything. Abby can look after her whilst you go shopping, I’ll drop her off for you.”  
“Thank you,” Kevin said, running a hand through his hair.  
“Go shower,” Wymack said, turning his back on Kevin as he bent down to check on the baby.

By the time Kevin reached Fox Tower it was late afternoon, which thankfully meant that his teammates would be in class, Kevin was in no state to confront them yet. Of course, he’d have to see them this afternoon, but that was a problem for future Kevin.  
Despite knowing that none of his roommates were in, he creaked the door open slowly and crept to his room, quickly grabbing his wallet from his dresser. In his rush to leave yesterday, he’d somehow forgotten it. He relaxed slightly as he shut the dorm door behind him, but that only lasted for a moment, until a door down the hall opened. Kevin’s heart sunk when Matt stuck his head out of the door,  
“Fuck, Kevin. What’s going on?”  
“Just grabbing my wallet,” Kevin said, making a show of shoving his wallet into the pocket of his jeans.  
“Cool, where you off to?” Matt asked. Kevin was in no mood to talk to anybody right now, least of all Matt, but from the way Matt was relaxed against his doorframe, he knew he had no intention of leaving him alone.  
“The store, I’ve got to get some stuff for the baby.”  
“You’re gonna keep her?” Matt asked, eyebrows flying up, voice sounding equally surprised and excited; Kevin cringed slightly at his choice of words – it sounded more like they were talking about a dog than a baby.  
“No,” Kevin quickly shook his head, “but Wymack made me a list of things I need to buy. Apparently she needs all this.”  
“That’s a lot of stuff,” Matt said, shooting the list a cursory glance. “You know what you’re doing?”  
“God, no,” Kevin said, letting out a humourless laugh.  
“I could always come with you, if you wanted,” Matt shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I don’t have a class until this afternoon.” Kevin opened his mouth to decline but then he realised that it might actually be nice to have some company, have someone to talk to.  
“Yeah, sure,” Kevin shrugged, Matt looked equally as surprised as Kevin felt.  
“Oh, okay, cool,” Matt said, “I’ll just be a minute. We can take my truck.”  
“Thanks,” Kevin said, flashing Matt a quick, almost invisible smile.


	3. Chapter Three

Kevin and Matt walked the aisles of the store wordlessly, Kevin glanced down at his list every now and then, ensuring that he wasn’t walking past anything that was on there.  
“Hey, can I take a look at the list?” Matt asked, Kevin passed him the list, watching on as Matt read over it. “Okay, well I know the diapers are beside the tampons.” Matt said, handing the list back. “Dan sends me to get them for her,” Matt elaborated when Kevin quirked an eyebrow.  
“Lead the way,” Kevin said, stepping aside so Matt could precede him. When they reached the diapers, Kevin and Matt stood in front of them, looking at all the different types – there was different materials, sizes, types – Kevin had no idea what he was looking for.  
“There’s so many,” Kevin thought aloud, mouth hanging open slightly.  
“How old is she?” Matt asked, glancing sideways at Kevin. Kevin thought to himself for a moment, he didn’t actually know, he’d have to sort out a doctor’s appointment or something,  
“Erm, little.”  
“Real helpful, Kevin,” Matt said, shaking his head. “I mean, like, how many months?”  
“I don’t know,” Kevin shrugged, “Thea didn’t say.”  
“Well, she looks pretty young, so maybe we should get her the smallest ones,” Matt suggested, Kevin nodded, reaching up to grab a pack and throw it in the cart.  
The shopping started to get a bit easier after that, and as they ticked the different items off the list, they started to talk.  
“I know you might not think it, but you’re actually pretty lucky,” Matt said, looking at Kevin.  
“And you’re delusional,” Kevin concluded, shooting Matt a confused look.  
“No,” Matt shook his head, “I’d love to have a baby.”  
“You can have this one,” Kevin suggested, continuing to push the cart down the aisle.  
“You don’t mean that,” Matt said.  
“Well, someone’s got to have her,” Kevin shrugged.  
“You’re really not keeping her?” Matt asked, Kevin shook his head. “Well, I don’t think Dan would be too happy if I got us a baby, plus, I’d like to wait a couple years.”  
“Exactly,” Kevin said, waving a hand to emphasise his point. “I’m too young.”  
“Not necessarily,” Matt shrugged, “you’re pretty mature. When you’re not drinking.”  
“I want to play exy, Matt. Not look after a baby,” Kevin pointed out.  
“Couldn’t you do both?”  
“Oh, because you see so many professional exy players with children waiting on the sidelines,” Kevin said sarcastically.  
“You could be the first,” Matt suggested, “I bet the fans would love it. The girls would be all over you,” Matt smirked, jostling Kevin’s arm.  
“I don’t want a girl,” Kevin said sulkily.  
“A boy, then?” Matt said, Kevin shot him a fierce look.  
“I just want a normal life,” Kevin said, shoulders slumping.  
“You’re a Fox, Kevin. You’re never going to be normal.” However much Kevin hated Matt’s words, he knew they were true. “I want to be able to give my kids the best chance in life,” Matt continued, “after seeing our trainwrecks of a childhood, I’d want to give them the best one possible.” Kevin hadn’t even realised how it might affect his daughter by placing her in the care system – but it was the right idea, right? She’d get a better upbringing than if Kevin was her father.

In the afternoon, Kevin headed to the court a little earlier than usual, hoping to avoid the rest of the Foxes; he brought the carrier that he’d bought that morning with him. Luckily, the parking lot was empty bar for Wymack and Abby’s cars when Kevin arrived, and Kevin hoped he could be in and out without any hassle.  
The foyer was empty so Kevin headed down the hallway, peering his head round Abby’s office door. Abby and Wymack were sat on the small couch in the corner of the room, the baby cradled in Abby’s lap. Kevin paused for a moment, not wanting to disturb them; Kevin had never seen his father look so at peace before. Noticing Kevin’s presence, Abby glanced up,  
“Oh, you’re here,” she said with a smile.  
“Yeah,” Kevin nodded, dropping the carrier to the floor just inside the room.  
“Here,” Abby said, standing up slowly and walking toward Kevin; Kevin hesitated a moment before taking his daughter from Abby. As he took his daughter, he felt his stomach flip, the reality still hadn’t set in. He was still awkward holding her and her body hung uncomfortably against his, she looked back at him, eyes wide and intrigued. “Support her head,” Abby said, reaching forward and adjusting Kevin’s arms.  
“Thanks,” Kevin said softly, looking down at the baby. When Kevin looked up, he noticing Wymack and Abby sharing a look, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment and he cleared his throat.  
“You get everything on the list?” Wymack asked, turning to face Kevin.  
“Yes,” Kevin nodded. “I’m not sure if I got the right size nappies, though. I don’t know how old she is.”  
“You need to book a doctor’s appointment,” Abby said, placing a hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “Although, I’d say she’d no older than a month or two.”  
“A month?” Kevin exclaimed, he looked down at his daughter – she was so small, so young, so innocent – he subconsciously lifted his hand up and stroked over her soft, dark hair. He could feel both Wymack and Abby’s eyes on him, so he pulled his hand away.  
“Am I going back to yours?” Kevin asked, looking up at Wymack.  
“Yeah,” Wymack nodded, “but you’ll have to wait until after practice.”  
“What? Why?” Kevin asked, glancing down at the carrier, it would be easy enough carrying it back to Wymack’s apartment.  
“Have you not looked outside?” Wymack asked, Kevin followed Wymack’s gaze to the window where rain was pouring down, it had been fine a couple minutes ago. “I can drive you back.”  
“I was kind of hoping to avoid the others,” Kevin muttered, staring at the floor.  
“I thought as much,” Wymack sighed, standing up from the couch. “It’ll be fine, Kevin. Plus, you’re going to have face them at some point, it’ll be better to just get it over with.”  
“But—” Kevin started to argue, but Wymack cut him off.  
“They all know, Kevin,” Wymack said, “and nobody cares. You’ll come home with me after practice.” Kevin snapped his mouth shut and let his shoulders slump, he knew he wouldn’t be winning this argument.  
“Get comfortable,” Abby said, nodding toward the couch, “you can stay in here during practice.”  
“It’ll be too loud for the baby out there,” Wymack elaborated.  
“Fine,” Kevin muttered, crossing the room and slumping down onto the sofa, holding his daughter still as she lay across his lap.  
Kevin’s heart sunk as he heard chatter down the hallway, he could hear Matt’s voice, loud and clear, which meant the girls would be with him. Which meant they would be seeing Kevin for the first time since hearing the news. Wymack had left to head to his own office a little while ago, and Abby was sat at her desk, browsing through some paperwork; she glanced over her shoulder and shot Kevin a sympathetic smile as she took in his tense posture.  
“It’ll be fine, Kevin,” Abby said softly.  
“Hey, Abby,” Dan called as she reached the doorway, she paused as she saw Kevin, the others nearly crashing into her. “Kevin!” she called with a grin. She made her way into the room, closely followed by Allison and Renee.  
“Oh my god, this is adorable,” Allison exclaimed, almost squealing with excitement as she looked at Kevin.  
“Shh,” Kevin hissed, nodding to the sleeping baby in his arms.  
“Whoops, sorry,” Allison said quietly, miming zipping her lips.  
“We didn’t believe it when the guys told us you had a baby,” Dan said.  
“Yeah, well, I didn’t believe it either,” Kevin murmured, turning back to his daughter.  
“She’s lovely, Kevin,” Renee said, reaching forward and stroking the baby’s head softly. Kevin shrugged, biting back a smile,  
“She’s okay.”  
“What’s her name?” Allison asked. Kevin paused for a moment, the thought hadn’t actually occurred to him – which was ridiculous, because of course the baby needed a name.  
“Erm, she doesn’t have one,” Kevin said, feeling embarrassed.  
“She doesn’t have a name?” Dan repeated, eyebrows flying up.  
“I guess I haven’t really had time to think about that,” Kevin shrugged.  
“Jesus, Kevin,” Allison sighed, “she needs a name.”  
“Yeah, I got that,” Kevin muttered.  
“I’m sure you’ll think of one soon,” Renee said, reaching out and squeezing Kevin’s shoulder soothingly.  
“Yeah,” Kevin agreed, he would.

Kevin was sat on Wymack’s couch, his daughter cradled in his arms; despite only being with her a couple of days, it felt as if they’d been together a lifetime, and he was kind of getting used to having her around.  
“What are you thinking?” Wymack asked, he was sat across the couch from Kevin and was watching him intently.  
“Huh?” Kevin asked, snapping his gaze up from the coffee table.  
“What are you thinking?” Wymack repeated, “Something’s on your mind.”  
“It’s nothing,” Kevin shrugged, turning back to the TV where an exy game was playing. He watched it for a moment before turning to Wymack, “I think I might have decided on a name.”  
“Really?” Wymack asked, raising his eyebrows as he sipped his coffee. “What you thinking?”  
“Kayleigh,” Kevin said, and he watched as Wymack nearly spat his coffee out.  
“Really?”  
“Really,” Kevin confirmed; Wymack thought to himself for a minute before a huge smile broke out on his face,  
“I like it,” Wymack nodded, “and I know your mom would like it, too.”  
“I hope so,” Kevin said softly.  
“She’d be proud of you, Kevin,” Wymack said, reaching across and clapping Kevin’s shoulder. “She really would.”


End file.
